STEP 1--If you want to be a serious writer, then your first step is to join the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators [SCBWI]. Sara has attended SCBWI's annual summer conference in Los Angeles for the last several years. She continues to return for the inspirational speakers, networking opportunities, business and marketing sessions, and the chance to have an editor's undivided attention for thirty minutes during a paid critique session.

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
8271 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
323-782-1010
membership@scbwi.org
www.scbwi.org

STEP 2--Join your local SCBWI chapter. SCBWI AZ has many educational and networking opportunities throughout the year. The chapter has at least one Editor Day event each year, giving attendees a chance to have an editor's or agent's undivided attention for fifteen minutes during a paid critique session.

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Arizona
SCBWI AZ
P.O. Box 26384
Scottsdale, AZ 85255-0123
rascbwiaz@aol.com
http://www.scbwi-az.org/

**If you are a children's writer living in the East Valley, contact Sara about attending one of SCBWI AZ 's Informal Networking Meetings. We drink coffee, talk shop, network, and support each other in this exciting but sometimes challenging profession.**

STEP 3--Educate yourself on the craft of writing. It's much harder than it looks. Sara is a graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature's Writing for Children and Teenagers program. Her first magazine sale, "The Candy Woman Can" [New Moon , 2000] was written during Sara's time as an ICL student. It was later included in the ICL textbook First Time Authors .

Institute of Children 's Literature
93 Long Ridge Road
West Redding, CT 06896
(800) 243-9645
http://www.theinstituteofchildrensliterature.com/F9624/main_gg.htm

STEP 4--Find a good critique group. Sara hasn't taken a class through Gotham Writers' Workshop (GWW), but the other three members of her critique group met online during a GWW's Children's Book Writing workshop. Invited to join the "Gotham Girls" in 2004, Sara has found the perfect group of women to write with. They celebrate each other's successes, grieve together over near-misses, and administer the occasional behind-kicking when someone slacks off. The Gotham Girls [a.k.a. Terry, Emily, Betsy, and Sara] have since been published in Highlights, Appleseeds, and Learning through History, as well as many other "big people" magazines and newspapers. Emily Goodman's picture book Plant Secrets [Charlesbridge] will come out in 2009.

Gotham Writers' Workshop
555 Eighth Ave., Suite 1402
New York, NY 10018
877-WRITERS
http://www.writingclasses.com/

STEP 5--Know the market. The scattershot approach does NOT work. Sara has the pile of rejection letters from poorly-targeted publishers to prove this. Instead make the time to find the right match for your work. There are tons of writing-related websites out there to choose from. Sara subscribes to the following three e-zines to help her find new opportunities for both her magazine work and book projects.

Writers Weekly
www.writersweekly.com

Children's Book Insider
http://www.write4kids.com/aboutcbi.html

Funds for Writers
http://www.fundsforwriters.com/